When returning a rented car, you must always check to make sure you didn’t leave your belongings in the back seat. 

A man from Florida was arrested and charged with child neglect after he left his granddaughter in a rental car when he returned it to an airport in Daytona Beach.

According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the little girl, under two years old, was left in the hot vehicle for about 45 minutes.

The toddler was found by a Hertz employee, and alerted the local authorities that a child had been found in a locked car in the Hertz car return parking lot. When police got there, they found the employee holding the child. The girl’s face was red and warm, and she looked as if she had been crying, from the dry tears that streaked her face. Despite that, she seemed okay and was breathing normally.

A statement released by authorities said that even though she looked scared and hot, the paramedics checked her, and she was in good health.

The poor girl must have cried her heart out when she realized she had been left alone in the locked car and she couldn’t get out. Coupled with the fact that the car was hot due to a temperature of around 80 degrees at the time, the hot weather must have scared her.  

Initial attempts to get hold of the grandfather by authorities and staff members were not successful. According to the Hertz office staff, the grandfather returned the car around 5 pm. A short while after employees discovered the girl, her mother called the car rental business and said that she had just learned that her father had accidentally left the child in the car and informed the staff members that she was on her way to pick her daughter up.

On the phone call, the girl’s mother said that her father had told her that he had left his granddaughter in the rental car. Obviously frantic, she drove as fast as she could to the airport.

The child’s grandfather, David Towner, seemed remorseful and cooperated fully with police during questioning. According to Towner’s arrest report, he was babysitting the child for the day because the toddler’s daycare center was closed for the Columbus Day holiday.

The girl’s 62-year-old grandfather was charged with child neglect and appeared before a judge on Tuesday, where his bond was set at $2,500.

The little girl was reunited with her mother, but the court notified the Department of Children and Families of the unfortunate incident. 

A Hertz spokesperson said they were happy with the swift actions of their teammates and that they were thankful that the child was safe.

As an act of gratitude for their actions, Volusia County Sheriff, Mike Chitwood, said he planned on giving a citizen’s reward to each of the Hertz employees at the Daytona Beach International Airport involved in the incident.